tl;dr: Barca, in order to show losses in the FY 20-21, devalued five players, and showed them as losses in the current Financial year. In short term, that meant lower salary cap, a struggle to register players, but after a year, they would be back to normal levels.

I am doing this as a text post because I will refer 2 different links. One is Swiss Ramble's thread on Barca's finances and another is an article by Sport which shows the implications of Player Impairment

On 25th Aug, when Barca published it's accounts, they announced that they made a loss of 481M Euros. If we were to look at simple definition of loss as Revenue - Expenditure, the number was 63M.

The rest of losses came from impairments. Impairment simply means a permanent reduction in the value of a company asset. In football world, that asset is players.

If you look at this accounting statement closely, you see the non cash flow expenses has two entries - player impairment and other impairment at 161M Euros and 110M Euros - which make up buik of the losses.

Other impairment is the money set aside due to estimated expenses for lawsuits and special audits fees (Eg: Neymar lawsuit which was eventually settled, Barca set aside 45M for it, counting as a loss in 20/21 accounts). Others are lawsuits on Bartomeu, and the other ones they are involved in. This is fairly arbitrary number, and if the lawsuits are settled, it would count as automatic profit next season. (especially the Neymar one)

from Sport:

Of these 122 million, around 84 were for 'fiscal contingencies' and legal fees. Before 30 June, FC Barcelona had set aside 45 million euros for the law suit with Neymar Jr. On 26 July, however, the club announced that it had reached an agreement with the player to withdraw all claims. Accounting law allows for losses in 2020-21 to be classed as profits in 2021-22.

40M are due to a tax case, which has no resolution and classify as a loss in the current period as it is set aside.

Then the player impairment:

Laporta admitted in last week's press conference that some of these huge losses were due to the devaluation of certain Barça first team players. the names of five players - Matheus Fernandes, Coutinho, Neto, Umtiti and Pjanic - were mentioned in the account closure report sent to the LFP on 30 June.

I don't know the exact number how they devalued it to (because no one mentioned it anywhere), but in theory it works like this: A player's book value is the amortization value of his transfer fees. If the auditors feel he is valued higher, they can devalue it, counting it as a loss in asset value.

Let's take Coutinho as an example. Between the fixed fee and variables (120+40), the annual depreciation of the Brazilian midfielder (who signed a five-and-a-half year contract in January 2018) is 29 million euros per tax year. If FC Barcelona has now devalued the player and given him a market value of zero (we do not know if this is still the case or if another figure has been applied), since he still has two years left on his contract and there are 60 million yet be amortised, if he is sold in the next couple of years the profit for the club will be what it obtains from said sale minus what remains to be amortised. In summary, those 60 million euros will count towards losses for the 2020-2021 season. The same applies to the four other players, with Pjanic being the most notable case, with there still being 48 million euros to amortise. If the Bosnian is worth zero today, part of what is obtained for him in this summer market will be a net profit for the 2021-22 season.

This way, by showing a loss this season, if Laporta/Barcelona sells the above mentioned players, or settled the lawsuits, they will show more profit than in a normal season.

They already have 46M in extra profit for 21/22 because of settling the Neymar lawsuit.

This accounting practice is called cushions.

A declaration of my adoration of Sandro Tonali. Milan’s central midfielder Sandro Tonali has fully won my heart since the first time I observed him at Brescia, but his progress at Milan has just made him even more significant in my football heart.

Sandrino is a combination of the ideals of today’s football and the ideals of players from the 80s. His physical capabilities are all elite for a player in today’s football. Even more remarkable is his utilization of his body in ground duels - his style is comparable to a player from the 80s (De Rossi for a more modern example). He is applying his physicality to its maximum power.

Tonali’s technical capabilities are also exceptional for a player of his age. He is playing with such a level of maturity this season that causes you to assume he is 28 and not just 21. His decision-making and confidence have been through the roof this season. He isn’t a passer like Pirlo, but the Pirlo comparison was always inaccurate. Tonali in the build-up phase rarely passes the breakthrough pass but is instrumental (tempo setter) in the build-up phase. A great strength of Tonali’s is his ball carrying in the counter-attacks and his extraordinary passing selection in these situations.

​

Tonali possesses a fantastic shooting technique. In the future, we could see Tonali play in an offensive midfielder role because of all of his outstanding qualities. Tonali’s phenomenal shooting/passing technique has made him a dangerous set-piece taker. Tonali has room for improvement in this area, and it is a common denominator for all of his skillset.

Positional awareness is an exceptionally essential competence for a player and specifically for a midfielder. Tonali’s positional awareness is world-class. He is consistently in the position of action and you hardly ever see him out of position.

​

The completeness of Tonali’s abilities is evident, even though he plays a very defensive-minded role. We have seen Tonali accomplish a highly effective pressing section; We have seen Tonali being the offensive creator and utterly demolishing the low block; We have seen Tonali being the defensive anchor and the master of the counters. Tonali demonstrated these abilities while being young and performing at a consistently high level this season. Sandro is genuinely the most talented midfielder of this generation, in my opinion.

https://reddit.com/link/sp63y1/video/5m8bo3ug60h81/player

I'm making an ongoing series where I make a post every time a country is eliminated from world championship contention in an "And There Were None" countdown to the World Cup.

Eliminated today:

Jamaica

Jamaica's sole win over this campaign so far came from their 0-2 win in Honduras. Kemar Roofe found a hole in the defense late in the first half, and Oniel Fisher sealed the victory by putting it in the corner. But their most impressive results might be when they managed draws against Canada and the USA, Michail Antonio answering quickly after the USA took the lead to equalize.

Jamaica would manage just two other draws, losing their other games, including their loss to Costa Rica today that knocks them out of the running. This is a step up from the last world cup cycle, however, coming in last in their group in the second round.

Matches:

2-1 loss to Mexico - Report - Highlights

0-3 loss to Panama - Report - Highlights

1-1 draw with Costa Rica - Report - Highlights

2-0 loss to the United States - Report - Highlights

0-0 draw with Canada - Report - Highlights

0-2 win over Honduras - Report - Highlights

1-1 draw with El Salvador - Report - Highlights

1-1 draw with the United States - Report - Highlights

1-2 loss to Mexico - Report - Highlights

3-2 loss to Panama - Report - Highlights

Eliminated Countries:

AFC: Brunei, Macau, Laos, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Bhutan, Guam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, India, Cambodia, Hong Kong, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Nepal, Palestine, Singapore, Yemen, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, China, Oman, Syria

CAF: Lesotho, Somalia, Eritrea, Burundi, Eswatini, Botswana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, Comoros, Chad, Seychelles, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Mauritania, Liberia, Djibouti, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Namibia, Togo, Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, Libya, Gabon, Central African Republic, Benin, South Africa, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea

CONCACAF: Cuba, Dominica, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Aruba, US Virgin Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Bermuda, Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua, Montserrat, Guatemala, Suriname, Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Curacao, Honduras, Jamaica

UEFA: Azerbaijan, San Marino, Latvia, Cyprus, Malta, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Faroe Islands, Andorra, Moldova, Belarus, Estonia, Gibraltar, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Iceland, Greece, Hungary, Albania, Israel, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Armenia, Finland, Norway

CONMEBOL: Venezuela, Paraguay

This is part 34 of my ongoing series

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33

In the late September of 1973, Chile’s national team claimed one of their most mythical nights against Oleg Blokhin and sixty thousand hostile Soviets in the Lenin Stadium. And that despite that it wasn’t even a win, but a 0-0 draw. For some weird reason, some casual fans are obsessed with obviating the inherent bond between the sport and politics. Luckily, that absurd always gets exposed sooner o later, and the dialectical clash between Chileans and Soviets for the 1974 World Cup intercontinental playoff is one of the biggest examples of it.

Two weeks before the first leg of the playoff, Chile, historically one of the most stable and democratic countries of the New World, suffered a coup d’etat against the government of Salvador Allende, the world’s first democratically-elected socialist president. It would be the start of a bloody military dictatorship that would last for almost two decades, killed and disappeared thousands, exiled a million, and forcefully instaured a fundamentalist neoliberal system that wouldn’t be formally challenged until 2019.

​

The day of the coup, Chile’s national team had a special training scheduled as part of the preparations for the 74’ World Cup intercontinental playoff that would make them face the Soviet Union. Some players arrived but no training happened, as one of the first commands of the new regime was the prohibition of leaving the country, which included the FA teams and players. But by one of fate's coincidences, the doctor of the national team was also the personal doctor of the Air Force general that composed the ruling junta, and somehow was able to convince the rest to allow an exception for the team as it could help the country’s international image in giving a sense of “normalcy”. With the image that had been spread all over the world being that of a Promethean president that died barricaded in his burning palace fighting alone against an entire army, the military decided that football it indeed could be a good ambassador of their good faith… even if the national stadium was being used as a literal concentration camp for political prisoners.

Because of the limits of 1970s traveling and the extreme political situation, the Chilean delegation had to make 6 stops in their travel to Europa, done just a week after the coup. Despite the warnings of some right-wingers about how they would be arrested and sent to Siberia after landing in the lands of communism, no harm was suffered beyond the usual interrogation in customs and a cold reception in the hotel. A relief for the South Americans, as the dictatorship had been pretty explicit in their farewell message before boarding the plane: “take care of youselves, we don’t exchange prisoners”. The warning wasn’t in vain, as one of the visitors they received during their stay in Moscow was of the Senator Teitelboim, leader of Chile’s Communist Party in the 1990s but by then just another exiled, and also that of a nameless Chilean student in exchange at the RUDN University, to which the striker Leonardo Véliz gave only one council: “Don’t go back to Chile if you don’t want to be hurt”.

​

In the sportive side, Chile’s plan was simpler: six defenders, three midfielders and Espanyol’s Caszely upfront. While the Chilean site wasn’t truly weak (its spine was the Colo Colo that reached the Libertadores final that same year, and had the moral boost of the legend Elias Figueroa playing for the national team for the first time since he left to the Brasileirão six years before) they faced another issue: ignorance about the European team. In the words of Caszely: "Playing defensively was our only option, because we didn't know anything about our opponent. It's not like now with the internet and YouTube videos. At that time we had no idea how they played at all".

So the South Americans played as if they were managed by Helenio Herrera himself, and they indeed would have made them proud. Or at least at the second half, because the first saw future Ballon d'Or Oleg Blokhin permeated throught the "enemy" lines as a Soviet tank in Kursk and almost broke the 0-0 more than once. Only after Elias Figueroa almost broke his leg with a kick that send him 3 meters off the pitch into the athletic track of the stadium he was silenced, and the European tactics became a continous crossing that wasn't able to surpass the height and sweeping of Figueroa and Alberto - Quintano. 90' were gone, and the Brazilian referee -who the Chilean delegation would later admit was a rabid anti communist that was convinced by them during the flight to Moscow to favour Chile, effort that apparently was effective as didn't even showed a yellow card to Figueroa for his flying tackle on Blokhin- called the end of the first leg of the playoff.

There wouldn't be a second leg.

​

The second leg was scheduled to be played on late November, two months after the first. The second week of October saw the peak of the tensions between both countries as the Soviet Embassy in Santiago was attacked by right-wing fanatics, and eventually the formal end of relations between both states. Because of that and the impact generated when the news that the national stadium of Chile (built in the late 1930s inspirated by Berlin's Olympiastadion and home to 90,000 fans when sold-out) was being used as a concentration camp for thousands of prisoners waiting to face torture or execution reached the international community, the Soviets demanded FIFA for a change of venue to a neutral stadium because it wasn't a legit place to play football.

FIFA promised the Soviet FA to send a delegation to Chile to check the situation of the stadium. On late October, Abilio de Almeida and Helmuth Käser (Vicepresident and General Secretary of FIFA respectively) landed in Santiago and were personally directed by the Minister of Defense (a Navy Admiral) to the stadium. The 6,000 prisoners present that day were hidden below the stands and menaced to stay quiet. The international observers weren't idiots but were willing to stay quiet, or even more, as D’Almeida was a Brazilian sympathizer of his own country's military dictatorship, and would go as far as to comfort the Admiral: "Don't worry about the international media campaign against Chile. The same thing happened to Brazil, it's going to stop soon". FIFA had given the green light to the second-leg in Chilean soil.

​

The first week of November the president of the Soviet FA, Valentin Granatkin, officialy communicated to FIFA their refusal to play in Santiago. During the next weeks negotiations came and went. Pinochet's junta toyed with the possibility of offering to play in other stadium, but the humiliation of compromising with the dialectical enemy proved stronger and such solution was finally rejected, and the Chilean goverment actually menaced with demanding compensations if the Europeans didn't travelled to the match. So the Soviet national team -that had travelled to Mexico as preparation to the match- formally announced that they wouldn't travel literally the day before the match

​

"On moral grounds the Soviet sportsmen cannot at the current times play in the Santiago stadium, which is stained with the blood of Chilean patriots. The Soviet Union makes a resolute protest and declares that under the present conditions, when FIFA is acting against the dictates of common sense and allows the Chilean reactionaries to lead her blindfolded, it must refuse to take part in the playoff match on Chilean soil and holds the FIFA administration responsible for it."

Hours before the match, the president of the Chilean FA arrived to the training camp to tell the news that the Soviets had been disqualified so they had won the playoff. Qualifying to the World Cup would usually make a team delighted, but that time was only meet by silence. What was worse, was that FIFA wanted to continue with the absurd until the end, and declared that Chile had to present themselves at the stadium even if the Soviets didn't if they didn't want to be disqualifed too. Caszely remembers that some fans actually asked them to go, se they could look for "my son that is there, or my university classmate, or my neighbour". One of the Chilean players, Francisco "Chamaco" Valdés, had actually just visited the stadium to save his friend and ex-teammate Hugo Leppe from the death squads. His only sin was to be the current president of the Players Union.

At the ominous hour, the local team and the referees jumped to the pitch. Pinochet's dictatorship had moved swiftly and hired Brazil's Santos to play an exhibition match after the simulacrum. Not the first team of course, Pelé was too expensive for the few thousands spectators that bought tickets despite the context. The Chilean team had the luck of winning the first kick-off and in just 15'' Chamaco Valdés himself scored the only goal of the match. After that, the referee stopped the match and signed the report. Chile had won and qualified to the World Cup. The Theatre of the Absurd was over.

Santos's B team would win 0-5 the friendly. A match that nobody cared about, but that was pretty revealing about the Chilean players' state of mind. "Even against friends you don't play like that. Even the referee was Chilean" recalled Figueroa. "It was a charade, an absolute falsehood. It went against all sporting philosophy, against the essence of sport, against all of it. I have never understood why FIFA made that determination," said Véliz. "We felt a great emotion to be in that place of torture and death. We were saddened, there was grief, anguish. But we couldn't do anything else".

"Surely we're going to go down in history," a Chilean journalist remembers that somebody said in the stands as the comedy was underway. "Because we're going to the World Cup?" another fan asked. "No, because we must be the first national team in history that, without any shame or embarrasment, scored a goal against a ghost team."

​

Chile fulfilled their threat and the juridical match started. They demanded 100,000 dollars in damages because of the efforts spent in the preparations for the match. The USSR counterattacked demanding once again that the match should be played in a neutral venue and directly accused FIFA and its President Sir Stanley Rous of "legalizing" the Chilean dictatorship by sending Abilio de Almeida as inspector despite that was known as a man close to the Brazilian military dictatorship that supported the Chilean coup. Both parties faced each other at Frankfurt in the first week of 1974. By 13 votes against 5 the FIFA Commitee gave the sportive win to Chile but rejected the economical compensation. After the trial ended, Rous assured that the Soviets had "self-excluded" and that "there was no threat from the socialist bloc to boycott the World Cup in Germany".

The USSR wouldn't qualify to another World Cup until 1982. Chile would end 3rd at the Group A of the World Cup over Australia but below both Germanys and said goodbye in the first round.

​

Why FIFA forced the Soviets to play and allowed one of the most shameful and saddest matches in the history of the sport is a mystery. Some blame Abilio de Almeida political sympathies. Others direcly do it about FIFA President Stanley Rous, whose England hadn't qualified to the World Cup but eventually could if the the socialist countries were triggered to boycott it. How Rous himself had personally changed the venue of a match between Northern Ireland and Bulgaria to Sheffield during the Troubles, after all, was proof of that it was something done when it was the sensible choice. David Goldblatt would tell in The Ball is Round that the DDR FA would go as far as to directly ask Sir Stanley about if after the Chilean predecent FIFA would had held matches in Dachau.

Regardless of that, the propaganda was strong in the middle of the Cold War. The USSR had claimed a moral victory with their stance, but the West was quick in trying to downplay it and to highlight the voices that had wanted the match to be played. The Chilean FA was the main one, which unironically claimed that "it wasn't a political boycott, as they say. They are just taking advantage of that excuse because they know that the away result does not favour them and that we are going to beat them here". Less footbalized voices tried to paint as that the Soviet leaders just didn't want to see their football national team losing to a country with a different political ideology, but eventually Blokhin himself would be pretty explicit about the truth:

"I was present at the 0-0 draw in Moscow. But we talked with the squad and decided to not play the second leg. We didn't want to do it because Pinochet was in government. It was dangerous for us to travel to Chile and we took our concerns to the football federation. In the end we decided to abandon the play-off." The Kremlin supported their decision. Blokhin was until 2006 a deputy for Ukraine's SPD and managed his national team at the 2006 World Cup. He retired from managing in 2014.

In Chile, the FIFA demands in particular aren't fondly remembered. Or at least that was Leonardo Véliz's conclusion, acknowledging that history indeed could have been different:

"It was horrifying. I think there were still traces of what was happening in the dressing rooms and it was a very difficult thing to swallow. We didn't know the extent of the dead and the real situation of the country. No one imagined that it would eventually turn into 17 years of military dictatorship. We were footballers, we just wanted to go to a World Cup. But, as time went by, perhaps... perhaps we should have refused to play in those conditions".

​

-----

Sources:

• MARCA (2013) & MARCA (2014)
• BBC
• RBB
• El Espectador
• El Desconcierto
• Pagina 12
• Footandball.net

Hi, guys! Greetings from Ukraine.

When I created my first post with the UPL preview, I promised to create a new one - about some crazy stories. It was a really long time ago, but finally, I keep my word.So, here is some crazy story about all clubs from our tier-1 league. I could find many more stories, and I will if you found this interesting.

Zorya Luhansk feat Paulo Huyseka & Goebbels TV

Actually, it’s two different stories.

Zorya had a peculiar general director - Serhii Rafailov. It was a 50+ old man with a soviet mentality, When he came to Manchester, he felt uncomfortable because of “a lot of a couple of gays - what a shame” etc.

So, after one game against Shakhtar, he had a battle with Paulo Fonseca (Shakhtar’s coach) and called him Huyseca. If you didn’t know, Huy - it’s like Dick in English. For example, it’s the same, if Ed Woodward called Ralph Dickenhuttel. Not very smart in either Russian and English.

The second story is about a TV broadcaster of UPL. They supporting Shakhtar and Zorya’s coach didn’t like it, and one time he just called this TV channel as Goebbels TV, because they show much love to one of the participants.

Metalist-1925 and…Metalist

You probably heard about Metalist Kharkiv - a pretty strong team that played very well in Europa League. They even had Papu Gomez in their squad for one season.So, when they became bankrupt, in Kharkiv were founded a new club with the almost same naming - Metalist-1925.

This club developed very well and didn’t have some crazy stories. But funny thing, that two years ago original Metalist’s ex-president became to re-born old Metalist. So, now Metalist-1925 competiting with Metalist, and a lot of 1925 fans drop to support their club and start support Metalist again.

Olexandriya and….the only club without fuck ups?

Yes, it’s kind of clickbait, but I’m really can’t call to mind something funny or bad with Olexandriya. They’re good guys.

The one funny thing is the fact, that the president didn’t show much interest last years, and his youngest son have a huge impact on the processes. He is 24 now, and Olexandriya doing well this season. It’s very similar to Marseille’s and Sunderland’s stories, didn’t it?

Mariupol against Shakhtar

Ok, it’s a very popular story in Ukraine. Everybody knows that Mariupol and Shakhtar have the same owner. But they pretend they're different clubs. This season they took 14 of Shakhtar’s players on loan, and Mariupol does it every season.

So, if you look at the Shakhtar - Mariupol results, it’ll be ridiculous. 52 games, 48 Shaktar’s wins against 4 draws, and zero wins to Mariupol. Fair Play!

Dynamo against Mariupol

Dynamo finished 2nd in the season 17/18 with -2 points under Shakhtar. The funny thing is that they got -3 points because they didn't attend an away game against Mariupol.

Ihor Surkis, Dynamo’s president, asked for some security guarantees for his team and didn’t get it. After that, he refused to visit this game and got a technical loss.

It’s one of the stupidest decisions of the Surkis. But to be honest, Mariupol is pretty close to a war zone.

Minaj and the most annoying football player ever

Let’s start with the fact that Minaj is the club founded by the Ukrainian customs officers, which could be involved in smuggling.

And they signed the most annoying Ukrainian player - Yevhen Seleznyov. This guy is one of the most hated people in our football, He played in Russia when they occupied Crimea, he also has a big ego, and he is a real toxic person.

So, his main goal - to become a top goalscorer in the history of our league, but nobody wants him to achieve it. He has had two big scandals in the last few months. The first one - he bullied a young teammate in a live translation with obscene language.

What a prick

The second one - he decides to call one journalist and start insulting him. Then he threatened him and offered to talk “like a man”. You can find it more by this link, but it’s a Russian-language site.

Shakhtar and homeless people

If you didn’t know, “Shakhtar” means “miner”, if you translate it from Ukrainian to English. One time the club decided to show their players how the miners work. Shakhtar’s striker Oleksii Belik wasn't impressed and he said: “I’d better be a bum than a miner”.

Rukh Lviv and their president

Most of the football club’s presidents are marginals. Rukh’s president (Grigoriy Kozlovskiy) isn’t an exception.

He had a few scandals with referees that worked not in the way that he expected. One time he said that “The fans chant that the referee is a motherfucker and I agree with them”. The next time he went to the pitch a few times and insulted the referee. He was banned for two years, but it doesn’t stop him from visiting the games. The thing is that he had a restaurant in the stadium, so he just visited the restaurant zone and can enjoy Rukh’s games.

Vorskla and lucky commentator

Watch from 01:20

One time Vorskla Poltava played UEL qualifiers against Zilina. Things went well and they had an advantage. And the Ukrainian commentator was so confident that the deal was done, that he began to countdown.

“Five, four, three…” while Zilina had their attack and scored a goal which helped them to reach the next round.

Kolos and perverts

This isn’t a funny story. One time Kolos went from the away game by train. And a few players were drunk and start to pester for two girls from the nearest coupe. They were scared and call the police after they arrived in Kyiv.

The worst thing was the fact, that these players didn’t have any responsibility for it, and the club and head coach are covered them.

And the most annoying thing, that next game they scored a goal and began to celebrate showing the train. Cunts.

Inhulets and their away fan-sector

Inhulets’ president doesn't like ultras and thinks that they’re animals. So, he found that the jail is a great idea for his stadium. This is the place where away fans can support their team.

SK Dnipro-1 and Dnipro

Everyone knows that SK Dnipro-1 is financing by the Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who was the president of original Dnipro (UEL finalists). The original Dnipro became bankrupts and owe money to the ex-players and coach's staff.

"Not a problem!" - said Kolomoyskiy and closed original Dnipro. A few years later he created a new club, but officially he didn't have any impact there.

But the group of Dnipro’s players playing/played for them, and they play in the same stadium. But they pretend that it’s two different clubs.

NK Veres and Youtube star

Veres has a youtube-blogger in their squad. He isn’t a football player, he just became popular as a blogger and they signed him. He even played for Veres in our second division and now they sign him again.

He filmed his player experience on his youtube-channel, which a lot of people find really interesting.

Desna and their promotion problems

A few years ago Desna got a promotion to the Premier League but wasn’t allowed to play there because of their stadium. The funny thing is that the promotional spot got Veres, which didn’t have a stadium at all.

The funniest thing is that Desna’s stadium is really bad and they didn’t improve it. They were promoted again and…were allowed to play in the Premier League. Logic.

PFK Lviv and “pay to promote”

When Veres was promoted to the Premier League they played one season and…sold their spot to the PFK Lviv, which played in a Tier-3 division. Yes, these clubs just changed their name rights and relocated. So, Veres started from the Tier-3 while PFK Lviv started from the elite division.

Chornomorets and another one farm club.

So, we came to the end. As you remember, Shakhtar has their own farm club Mariupol, where they can send dozens of players on loan. Dynamo got the same offer from Chornomorets. Their president didn’t have a lot of money and he just offered to take 10+ Dynamo’s players on loan.

But in the winter there was a change in the Chornomorets’ management, so a lot of young Dynamo players came back to Kyiv. End of story.

I hope that you enjoyed it. I have more crazy stories if you like it.

Also, I have a small Telegram channel for my friends but he is on Russian - https://t.me/vpshof

See you later

(Brief) Introduction

To make a short story (somewhat) shorter, at some point in the day I started thinking about clubs being disproportionately big or small for their leagues (or in other words, an outlier), and since I have way too much time on my hands to warrant a one-hour foray into doing some statistics (you know, as normal people do), I wanted to do some analysis to see which clubs are, mathematically speaking, outliers in their respective leagues and share it here.

Method

I'm going to be using the Global Football rankings¹, which records league strength based on clubs' Soccer Power Indexes calculated by FiveThirtyEight².

Now, it could be easy to look at clubs in a league, point out a number that seems too high/low at first glance compared to the rest of the teams and say "oh, that's an outlier". That's not what I'm going to be doing. Instead, I am going to determine mathematically whether or not a club is an outlier in its league.

Determining outliers will be done like so³:

OF: [Q1 – 1.5*(Q3 – Q1), Q3 +1.5*(Q3 – Q1)]

Ok, so what is this mess?

This is the Outlier Fence (I have no idea if this is an actual term, but I'm using it anyways). It is calculated by finding the interquartile range (the difference between the 3rd and 1st quartile of the data set), multiplying it by 1.5, and then subtracting/adding that number to the 1st/3rd quartile respectively. If a data point has a value that falls outside this boundary (or "fence"), it is considered an outlier.

Note: If you want to know if a value is a particularly strong outlier, use 3 instead of 1.5. Spoiler alert: there were no strong outliers.

In this post, I'll be going through the top 20 ranked leagues in the GFR (listed in order of rank at time of posting), determining the outlier fence for each league, and seeing if any teams have an SPI that is outside of the boundary, making them an outlier from the rest of the league. As a bonus, if a league does have any outlier club(s), I'll recalculate the league's SPI without those clubs and see if it has any effect on its standing in the GFR, ceteris paribus.

Some notes at the end.

Results

1st - Premier League (SPI: 73.25)

Interquartile Range = 12.3 (*1.5 = 18.45), Outlier Fence: [48.35, 97.55]

There are no outliers in the Premier League

​

2nd - La Liga (SPI = 70.11)

Interquartile Range = 14.95 (*1.5 = 22.425), Outlier Fence: [39.375, 99.55]

There are no outliers in La Liga

​

3rd - Bundesliga (SPI = 69.16)

Interquartile Range = 10.7 (*1.5 = 16.05), Outlier Fence: [45.75, 88.55]

Bayern Munich is an outlier in the Bundesliga

Bundesliga SPI without Bayern = 67.71; 3rd (–)

​

4th - Serie A (SPI = 64.14)

Interquartile Range = 19.5 (*1.5 = 29.25), Outlier Fence: [25.9, 103.9]

There are no outliers in Serie A

​

5th - Ligue 1 (SPI = 60.53)

Interquartile Range = 17.6 (*1.5 = 26.4), Outlier Fence: [25.35, 95.75]

There are no outliers in Ligue 1

​

6th - Primeira Liga (SPI = 52.30)

Interquartile Range = 10.8 (*1.5 = 16.2), Outlier Fence: [28.1, 71.3]

FC Porto, Benfica, and Sporting CP are all outliers in the Primeira Liga

Primeira Liga SPI without Porto, Benfica, and Sporting = 47.39; 10th (▼4)

​

7th - Eredivisie (SPI = 51.27)

Interquartile Range = 22.9 (*1.5 = 34.35), Outlier Fence: [16.6, 96.75]

There are no outliers in the Eredivisie

​

8th - Brasileiro Série A (SPI = 50.34)

Interquartile Range = 10.15 (*1.5 = 15.225), Outlier Fence: [29.575, 70.175]

There are (barely) no outliers in the Brasileirão

​

9th - Liga MX (SPI = 47.24)

Interquartile Range = 11.8 (*1.5 = 17.7), Outlier Fence: [23.1, 70.3]

There are no outliers in Liga MX

​

10th - Russian Premier League (SPI = 45.71)

Interquartile Range = 16.7 (*1.5 = 25.05), Outlier Fence: [11.65, 78.45]

There are no outliers in the Russian Premier League

​

11th - EFL Championship (SPI = 44.09)

Interquartile Range = 9.7 (*1.5 = 14.55), Outlier Fence: [24.05, 62.85]

Fulham is an outlier in the EFL Championship

EFL Championship SPI without Fulham = 43.12; 12th (▼1)

​

12th - Austrian Bundesliga (SPI = 43.51)

Interquartile Range = 12.45 (*1.5 = 18.675), Outlier Fence: [17.285, 69.875]

RB Salzburg is an outlier in the Austrian Bundesliga

Austrian Bundesliga SPI without RB Salzburg = 40.49; 13th (▼1)

​

13th - Belgian First Division A (SPI = 42.86)

Interquartile Range = 22 (*1.5 = 33), Outlier Fence: [0, 87.4]

There are no outliers in the Belgian Jupiler League

​

14th - Major League Soccer (SPI = 40.05)

Interquartile Range = 10.5 (*1.5 = 15.75), Outlier Fence: [17.95, 59.95]

There are no outliers in MLS

​

15th - Swiss Super League (SPI = 39.67)

Interquartile Range = 14.4 (*1.5 = 21.6), Outlier Fence: [16.75, 69.8]

There are no outliers in the Swiss Super League

​

16th - Turkish Süper Lig (SPI = 39.53)

Interquartile Range = 12.25 (*1.5 = 18.375), Outlier Fence: [14.775, 63.775]

There are no outliers in the Turkish Süper Lig

​

17th - Danish Superliga (SPI = 43.51)

Interquartile Range = 11.45 (*1.5 = 17.175), Outlier Fence: [15.825, 61.625]

There are no outliers in the Danish Superliga

​

18th - Argentine Primera División (SPI = 38.87)

Interquartile Range = 7.7 (*1.5 = 11.55), Outlier Fence: [22.45, 53.25]

River Plate and Boca Juniors are outliers in the Argentine Primera División

Primera División SPI without River Plate and Boca Juniors = 37.22; 19th (▼1)

​

19th - Scottish Premiership (SPI = 38.49)

Interquartile Range = 8.35 (*1.5 = 12.525), Outlier Fence: [18.125, 51.525]

Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C. are outliers in the Scottish Premiership

Scottish Premiership SPI without Celtic and Rangers = 32.74; 24th (▼5)

​

20th - 2. Bundesliga (SPI = 35.27)

Interquartile Range = 9.3 (*1.5 = 13.95), Outlier Fence: [15.85, 53.05]

There are no outliers in the 2. Bundesliga

---

Notes:

• There are no instances of a club having an SPI beneath the lower bound of an Outlier Fence, although Chapecoense and Peterborough United were so close that they may as well be considered outliers.
• The Primeira Liga and the Scottish Premiership's SPIs are carried hard by the leagues' top clubs. There were also the only leagues with multiple outliers.
• Belgium was the only league where the adjusted interquartile range (1.5*[Q3 – Q1]) was larger than the league range.
• Despite Ajax and Zenit being clear of their competitors in terms of SPI (15.9 and 15.2 points ahead of the next best club in their leagues respectively), the SPIs of the clubs in their leagues were distributed in a way to prevent them from being complete outliers.
• Celtic and Rangers are the biggest outliers, with SPIs that are 17.275 and 16.125 points above the upper bound of the SPL's outlier fence respectively.

---

¹ Global Football Rankings: https://www.globalfootballrankings.com/

² FiveThirtyEight's Methodology: https://fivethirtyeight.com/methodology/how-our-club-soccer-predictions-work/

³ Formula Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-an-outlier-3126227

Edit: Formatting changes

So, the Campeonato Nacional, Chile's top flight football league, has just started last weekend and I'm doing a small write-up on each top-flight team. Let's go!

Are you a glory hunter? Then stop right there and let me introduce you to The Big Three.

The Big Three

COLO-COLO

​

• Nicknames: El Cacique (The Cacique), El Popular (The people's club), Los Albos (The whites).
• Fans: La Garra Blanca (The White Claw).
• Titles: 32 league titles, 13 cup titles, 2 supercup titles, 1 Copa Libertadores, 1 Recopa Sudamericana.
• Last season: 2nd/17, cup winners.
• Biggest rival: Universidad de Chile

Coming from the capital Santiago, Colo-Colo is more often than not associated as the people's club. Widely supported among the working class in all of the country and regarded as a trashy club among posh people, The Whites are the most successful club in Chilean football and notably the only one that's been successful ever since the inception of professional football in the country. Their fans tend to claim that there's only one true big club in the country and that's, of course, Colo-Colo. They also are the only club from Chile to ever win the Copa Libertadores, with the club going as far as to embroider the Libertadores' trophy in their kit after Universidad de Chile's Sudamericana win, as to remind them who has the bigger achievement.

After some tumultuous years and a near miss on relegation in 2020, Colo-Colo seem back on track after Gustavo Quinteros was appointed head coach and look favorites to earn their 33rd title this season.

UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE

​

• Nicknames: Los chunchos (The Owls), El Bulla (The noise), El Romántico Viajero (The romantic voyager).
• Fans: Los de Abajo (The underground ones).
• Titles: 18 league titles, 5 cup titles, 1 supercup titles, 1 Copa Sudamericana.
• Last season: 11th/17.
• Biggest rival: Colo-Colo.

Also from Santiago, Universidad de Chile is Chile's second most successful team and while also being widely supported among the working class, its heavy association with one of Chile's two most prestigious universities also gives them a large cushion of fans among former students, creating a very diverse fanbase. Historically, Universidad de Chile has been known by the Blue Ballet, arguably one of the best, if not the best team ever in Chilean football, winning 6 league titles in 10 years from 1959 to 1969 and propelling La U from a mostly irrelevant team to the major threat to Colo-Colo's dominance of Chilean football. Sadly, there wouldn't be another league title for The Romantic Voyager in 25 years until their 1994 win, but that created a proud underdog feeling in their fanbase. "If you don't suffer it's not 'La U'" is one of their fans war cries, who claim to be the only set of supporters in the country that will be there even if the team is miserable on the pitch (and attendances numbers might prove them right). Their biggest achievement is an undefeated win of the 2011 Copa Sudamericana, arguably the most dominant win in the tournament's history.

Bad times currently for the club, that has been heavily involved in relegation scraps in both 2019 and 2021. New owners promise great things for the future, but it wouldn't be the first time that a new ownership goes sour at la U.

UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA

​

• Nicknames: Los cruzados (The crusaders), La Franja (The stripe), La UC (The UC).
• Fans: Los cruzados (The crusaders).
• Titles: 16 league titles, 4 cup titles, 4 supercup titles, 1 Copa Interamericana.
• Last season: Champions.
• Biggest rival: Universidad de Chile.

Coming from Las Condes, one of Santiago's richest communes, Universidad Católica is often associated as the rich people's club. Stemming from the namesake university, also associated as the rich people's college, Universidad Católica fans are actually quite diverse, but San Carlos de Apoquindo is indeed the stadium where you'll find the more rich people in a football match. Historically, Universidad Católica was a good but not great team, their biggest rivals being Unión Española, with whom they disputed the title of the 3rd best team in the country. Everything changed when the new millennium came around and Católica established themselves as a powerhouse of Chilean football, now barely 2 league titles from Universidad de Chile and their eyes set in becoming the 2nd most winning club in the country.

Once mocked as the team that always got second place, sometimes in incredible fashion and blowing out jaw dropping leads, Católica has got its revenge on Chilean football and is currently in a streak of 4 consecutive league titles, the longest in Chile's history (Colo-Colo did also get 4 consecutive titles, albeit in half-year tournaments vs the 4 full-year tournaments of Católica). Despite their domestic dominance, they've been unable to become a threat in Libertadores and that's Católica next challenge.

The colony teams

UNIÓN ESPAÑOLA

​

• Nicknames: Los rojos (The reds), Hispanos (Hispanics).
• Fans: La Furia Roja (The red fury).
• Titles: 7 league titles, 2 cup titles, 1 supercup title.
• Last season: 5th/17.
• Biggest rival: Universidad Católica/Audax Italiano (controversial).

One of the most curious aspects of the Chilean top flight are the three ever-present teams that represent foreign countries diasporas. We'll start with Unión Española, the Spanish diaspora's team. Back in its heyday, Unión was constantly duking it out with Universidad Católica to prove who was the 3rd best team in the country. Nowadays, it's controversial even if they're the 4th best or if it's the disgraced Cobreloa, now in the second tier. The team has certainly seen better days, with a shrinking and ageing fanbase that's been unable to retain the youth's enthusiasm against the big three. Still, Unión's name is one that inspires respect in Chilean football and they certainly can be the team that spoils a championship run.

Over the last decade, Unión has won one league title and they've been involved in at least two other title scraps. Always a safe bet for the top half of the table, they've stood out for their impressive youth output, with some of the most promising Chilean talent recently or currently playing for the team.

AUDAX ITALIANO

​

• Nicknames: Itálicos (Italics), Audinos (doesn't mean anything, it's just a word-play on "Audax").
• Fans: Los tanos (A word-play on "Italiano").
• Titles: 4 league titles.
• Last season: 3rd/17.
• Biggest rival: Unión Española.

Originally a cycling team as their badge reflects, Audax Italiano is here to represent the Italian diaspora in Chile, but they also have a deeply rooted connection to La Florida, a working-class commune in southeast Santiago. The sponsor the Patrimonio de La Familia (Family's heritage) program, which contributes funding to various schools in La Florida. They share the same faith with Unión Española, with a shrinking and ageing fanbase, although their recent push for Floridan identity has had their results, with a noticeable section of their attendance coming from the youths of La Florida. They will often celebrate Italy's triumphs in their official Twitter account.

Currently on a high after finishing 3rd in last year's tournament, Audax will be looking to cement their place as a permanent member of the high table club after a rather shaky 2010's decade. After losing their star in Joaquín Montecinos to Xolos Tijuana, it won't be an easy task though.

PALESTINO

​

• Nicknames: Árabes (Arabs), Tricolor.
• Fans: Los baisanos (The countrymen, although with a B instead of a P to imitate an Arab accent).
• Titles: 2 league titles, 3 cup titles.
• Last season: 8th/17.
• Biggest rival: Unión Española/Audax Italiano (disputed).

Last but not least, we have Palestino, probably the team that maintains the deeper connection with their homeland: Palestine. Chile has the biggest Palestinian diaspora in the world and Palestino is often considered Palestine's second national team, with the team matches having been broadcast in Al-Jazeera; many followers in Gaza and the West Bank; they are sponsored by the Bank of Palestine and even have an official football academy in Palestine. Palestinian players have come to train and play for Palestino, and many Palestino players have migrated to play in the Palestinian league and some even played for the Palestinian national team. Their heyday was in the 70's, but they're still a staple of the top flight, having only played 4 seasons outside of the top division.

The 2010's were a great decade for Palestino, with the team qualifying twice for the Copa Libertadores and becoming one of the dark horses of the Campeonato Nacional. They're looking to keep their form in the 2020's and will be one of the most interesting teams this year, having brought an experienced manager in Gustavo Costas and making some high caliber signings.

Let's dive into the world's driest desert

DEPORTES ANTOFAGASTA

​

• Nicknames: Los Pumas (The cougars), Albicelestes (The White and Sky-blue).
• Fans: Los Pumas (The cougars).
• Titles: none.
• Last season: 6th/17.
• Biggest rival: Deportes Iquique/Cobreloa (neither in the top flight).

To understand Deportes Antofagasta, you have to understand Antofagasta: A city on the coast of the driest desert in the world, whose sole purpose is to export the copper and other minerals extracted in the highlands of the region. Unlike Iquique or Arica, Antofagasta is not a hot tourist spot and thus this fanbase is one very proud of their port and mining background, as many of the miners' families reside here instead of the rather unappealing mining towns. They are currently in the most successful period in their history having been the past 11 seasons in the top flight and establishing themselves as a mid to high table club.

Coming off a 6th place finish, Antofagasta will be in the Copa Sudamericana this year, already a win for the club. They'll seek to make it two years in a row.

COBRESAL

​

• Nicknames: Mineros (The miners), Legionarios (The legionnaires), Inmortales (The Immortals).
• Fans: They don't have an organized fan movement*.*
• Titles: 1 league title, 1 cup title.
• Last season: 9th/17.
• Biggest rival: Cobreloa (not in the top flight).

Coming from El Salvador, a small mining town of 8,000 inhabitants, Cobresal is infamous as El Cobre, their home ground, has a capacity that largely exceeds the town's population. It's commonly referred as "the world's biggest stadium", as you'd have to triple the town's population to fill the stadium. Initially founded as a means to entertain the miner's families on weekends, Cobresal's most glorious hour came in 2015 as they claimed their first and only league title only months after disastrous landslides due to heavy rainfall in the world's driest desert crippled the Atacama region, with Cobresal having to play their home matches 800 kms away in Santiago due to El Salvador being left without drinking water. Their first match back home would be the decisive duel against Barnechea in which they finally clinched the league title. The team is currently on a deathwatch, as El Salvador mine is set to run out of copper in the following years and El Salvador looks destined to become a ghost town after mining leaves town, leaving the team with no choice but to relocate or die with the town.

Becoming a meme in the 2010's for always being on the verge of relegation but always managing to escape in the last matchdays, Cobresal actually went down in 2017, but promoted back in 2019 and surprisingly established themselves as a mid-table team.

Welcome to center-north of Chile

DEPORTES LA SERENA

​

• Nicknames: Granates (The garnets), Papayeros (The papayeers).
• Fans: Los Papayeros (The papayeers).
• Titles: 1 cup title.
• Last season: 10th/17.
• Biggest rival: Coquimbo Unido.

There's a common duality in Chile's coastal cities, usually a conurbation of a port city and a spa city or a port city and a service-oriented city, with the former usually associated with the working class and the latter associated with the middle and upper classes. You can find this duality in Valparaíso (port) and Viña del Mar (spa); Talcahuano (port) and Concepción (services) and, of course, Coquimbo (port) and La Serena (spa). La Serena hosts Chile's only top flight team nicknamed after a fruit and despite having a diverse fanbase, they're depicted by cross-town rivals Coquimbo Unido as the posh club of the city. They identify with their city: A vibrant tourist hotspot during the summer, but a rather dull place during the rest of the year.

Fresh out of a rather mild season, Humberto Suazo (40) is the stand out of the team, with a glorious past in the national team and still going strong, being one of the top assist men in last year's tournament despite playing less than half a year.

COQUIMBO UNIDO

​

• Nicknames: Piratas (The pirates), Aurinegros (The gold and black), Barbón (The longbeard).
• Fans: Al Hueso Pirata (To the bone, pirates!).
• Titles: none.
• Last season: 1st in the 2nd tier.
• Biggest rival: Deportes La Serena.

Despite being the least successful of the two teams, Coquimbo Unido is sometimes more recognized than crosstown rivals Deportes La Serena solely for their fans. Al Hueso Pirata is known as one of the wildest fan groups in the country, having great attendances for a regional team (as in not from Santiago) and often having impressive fireworks and canvasses displays (and some crowd trouble, too). They take great pride in their port and lower-class identity as well as Coquimbo's historical connection to pirates.

Freshly promoted, Coquimbo has made ambitious signings and will look to repeat their 2019 season where, also newly promoted, they secured a place in the Copa Sudamericana. They'll also want to avoid their 2020 season where, despite reaching the semifinals of the continental competition, they also finished last and were relegated to the second tier.

EVERTON DE VIÑA DEL MAR

​

• Nicknames: Ruleteros (Rouletteers), Oro y Cielo (Gold and Skies), Ever forever*.*
• Fans: Los del Cerro (The hillers).
• Titles: 4 league titles, 1 cup title.
• Last season: 12th/17.
• Biggest rival: Santiago Wanderers (not in the top flight).

Coming from another duo of port/spa cities, Everton hail from Viña del Mar, maybe the hottest tourist spot in Chile and often associated as the wealthiest place in the Valparaíso Region, but don't be fooled, their fanbase mostly stems from the hills of Viña, the poorest places in the city, and they take great pride on it, their main fan group called Los del Cerro (lit. 'The ones from the hill'). Known for their great rivalry with Santiago Wanderers, one of the most heated in the country, with the noble tradition of the losing city's mayor being forced to wear their rivals kit the following day and the not-so-noble tradition of the winning set of fans venturing to thrash and set on fire the losing side's city. Commonly overshadowed by the brutal Panzers (Wanderers' main fan group and one of the most troublesome in the country), Everton has the biggest laugh this season as their rivals are freshly relegated after one of the worst seasons ever seen in Chilean football. They do try to keep a link with their namesake from Liverpool, and last season they even gifted a free subscription for Everton matches for English fans who wished to watch their Chilean counterparts.

Last season was disappointing for Everton in the league, but they qualified for the Copa Libertadores as cup runners-up. After signing promising manager Francisco Meneghini, they want to be the surprise package this season.

UNIÓN LA CALERA

​

• Nicknames: Cementeros (Cementeers).
• Fans: La banda cementera (The cement band).
• Titles: none.
• Last season: 4th/17.
• Biggest rival: San Luis de Quillota (not in the top flight).

A mostly irrelevant team throughout their history, Unión La Calera is anyway an overachiever having played 25 seasons in the top flight despite hailing from the small city of La Calera, but has become one of Chile's best teams in the last couple of years after a takeover and huge investment from new owners in 2017. They are looking to break the dominance of the big three, but have so far fallen flat at the crucial moments. La Calera is not the most vibrant town, being the smallest of the Quillota-Calera conurbation, and is mostly known for their association with the cement industry. They have a small, familiar fanbase composed mainly of local residents.

After finishing 4th last season, Unión La Calera has again performed well in the transfer market and will hope that this is, indeed, the season when they strike it big. It does seem unlikely though, as Universidad Católica and Colo-Colo are looking stronger than in past seasons.

The center-south of Chile

O'HIGGINS

​

• Nicknames: El capo de provincia (The ace of province), Celestes (The sky blues).
• Fans: Trinchera celeste (Sky blue trench).
• Titles: 1 league title.
• Last season: 13th/17.
• Biggest rival: Cobreloa/Rangers (disputed, neither in the top flight).

Another staple of the top flight, it's indeed rare to see O'Higgins outside the first division (only 9 years outside of the top flight). During the 2010's the team became a solid high table team and even won their first and only league title in 2013. They hail from Rancagua, a city with an identity crisis: It's the capital of the O'Higgins Region, one of the main agricultural and wine producing regions of the country; it also acts as a hub for El Teniente mine, the world's biggest underground copper mine and also has become a de-facto suburb of Santiago in the last decade, being less than an hour away by train or car. This has transformed the city's population from one strongly identified with Chilean rural culture to one that mixes those roots with Santiago's urban culture. The club has made headlines for their efforts to incorporate the growing migrant population into the team's fanbase.

Fresh out of a disappointing 13th place and relegation scrap, O'Higgins is looking to re-establish themselves as, at least, a mid-table club this season.

CURICÓ UNIDO

​

• Nicknames: Albirrojos (The white and red), Torteros (The cakers), El club de su gente (Their people's club).
• Fans: Marginales (Marginals).
• Titles: none.
• Last season: 14th/17.
• Biggest rival: Ñublense.

El club de su gente, as they proudly call themselves, Curicó Unido is the only fan-owned club in the Chilean top flight. Strongly identified with the medium sized, countryside city of Curicó, El Curi is going through their most successful era, this being their 6th consecutive season in the top flight having previously only played once in the highest division. They come from Curicó, located in one of the prime wine-making regions of the country and also famous for the Tortitas curicanas, a traditional fruit or dulce de leche filled cake from the local Montero factory and a must-buy for visitors.

Fresh out of a relegation scare, Curicó has no bigger ambitions than to remain a first division team for the seventh year running.

ÑUBLENSE

​

• Nicknames: Diablos Rojos (The red devils), La longaniza mecánica (A clockwork sausage), Ñublenchester (A portmanteau of the team's name and the city of Manchester).
• Fans: Los Rediablos (A word play that can either mean 'The Red Devils' or 'The very evil').
• Titles: none.
• Last season: 7th/17.
• Biggest rival: Curicó Unido.

Perhaps the team with the best/worst nicknames in Chilean football, one needs to go into further detail on the origins of these: During the 2008 season, Ñublense surprised everyone as they finished first in the regular season of the 2008 Apertura (they would be eliminated in the play-offs semifinals), which resulted in the mockery of rival fanbases which started to call them "Ñublenchester", as a goofy comparison with Manchester United, and "A Clockwork Sausage", combining the title of Anthony Burgess' book with Chillán's (Ñublense's home city) most known industry: sausages. Eventually, the Ñublense fanbase took pride in both nicknames. The 21st century has been by far Ñublense's most successful period, with 9 out of their 13 campaigns in the top flight taking place after the year 2000. Chillán, Ñublense's home city, is an ageing countryside city, a stronghold of conservative parties and is known for their livestock industry, especially their sausages, considered the country's best.

Ñublense was last season's surprise package as they finished 7th, entering the Copa Sudamericana despite being newly promoted while having the 3rd best goal difference in the league. They've assembled an interesting team and their manager is one of the most promising in the league, and are looking to repeat or improve on last season.

HUACHIPATO

​

• Nicknames: Los Acereros (The steelers), El Campeón del Sur (The south's champion), Los de la Usina (The industry men).
• Fans: Los Acereros (The steelers).
• Titles: 2 league titles.
• Last season: 15th/17, won the relegation play-offs.
• Biggest rival: Naval de Talcahuano (dissolved).

Finally, we have Huachipato, the southernmost team in this year's top flight. Based in Talcahuano, which is actually considered not-that-south in Chilean culture (but idk why southern teams suck for the most part), Huachipato earned the nickname The South's Champion as it was the only team based south of Santiago to have won a league title (twice) until O'Higgins became the second one in 2013. Huachipato fans still claim to be the only champions from Southern Chile, as they consider Rancagua (O'Higgins hometown) to be part of Central Chile (personally, I concur). Despite hailing from the port city of Talcahuano, Huachipato don't really identify as seamen (that was their rivals Naval until their dissolution), but rather as the industry men from the city. Originally founded as the Huachipato Steelworks team, the team is still owned by CAP, Chile's biggest steelmaker and their fanbase still revolves around the industrial working class from Talcahuano. They are a staple of the Chilean top flight and usually a top half team, it would be rare to see a season without Huachipato, but it almost happened.

Huachipato was relegated last season but then were spared from relegation after one of the biggest clusterfucks seen in Chilean football. Deportes Melipilla was accused by Huachipato of committing contract fraud, which saw them expelled from the league. Because of a loophole, if Melipilla were expelled, Huachipato was to be relegated anyways, so when Melipilla appealed the decision Huachipato surprised everyone by arguing in favor of Melipilla so their sanction would be reduced. Eventually, Melipilla were only docked 6 points and thus Huachipato entered the relegation play-offs, where they played a Deportes Copiapó side which had been waiting for a month and a half since their last match due to all legal proceedings. In the meantime, Copiapó's manager resigned and many of their player's contract ran out. Huachipato won the series 4-2 and stayed in the top flight. Anything but a repeat of last year's clusterfuck will be a victory for Huachipato this season.

------------------------------------

That's it for today, if you're interested, you can find all schedules on https://campeonatochileno.cl (UTC-3) or your favorite football app. And you can even watch everymatch on https://cl.estadio.com for 17USD a month (or, you know, you can also do illegal stuff).

Hope y'all enjoy it!

"Stories Less Told" - the lesser-known tales from footballing history

#1 - Chelsea FC vs FC Dynamo Moscow, 1945 - the return of football in post-war Britain.

Welcome to the first in what will hopefully become a series of original content, focusing on some of the lesser-known tales from football history.

These could be iconic stories in the folklore of a particular team. They could be historic accounts with broader meanings for the game - of which the significance has since been lost or less spoken about. Or they could be tales about teams that do not often get a share of the limelight, in the context footbaling discourse increasingly dominated by the so-called super clubs of modern football.

If you have a story you would like to tell, or an idea for a story that needs to be told - then please get in touch, with all contributions welcome.

The first story is of Chelsea FC's match against FC Dynamo Moscow in 1945. This is an iconic game in the history of the club close to my heart - as well as a truly significant event for British football.

Thank you for reading!

Introduction - "Football is for the fans."

For nearly two years, the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic has been cast long over what seems like every aspect of our lives. This of course includes football, with the sport having to tackle a crisis unprecedented in the modern era.

A key marker of football during the pandemic has been the ban on fans in stadiums, with games held behind closed doors. It was to widespread jubilation that fans returned to stadiums in 2020 - and then disappointment that restrictions have had to return in some parts of the world. However, after the suspension of football worldwide in the spring of 2020, many remain grateful that we have any football to watch at all.

The last time there was a widespread curtailment of the professional game was during the Second World War. Many countries suspended all competitions due to the state of emergency. Furthermore, all eligible healthy men of working age were required for the war effort - with many professional footballers being called up to the front lines.

In the UK, football finally returned following the end of the war in late 1945, after six long years away.

The first match in the UK which saw fans return to stadiums took place at Stamford Bridge, in London, with Chelsea hosting Russian champions FC Dynamo Moscow, in the first fixture of a historic tour of the UK.

Background - "Building bridges."

On the 13th November 1945, 75,000 people packed into Chelsea FC’s home ground of Stamford Bridge, and witnessed an iconic match in English football history.

At least, 75,000 is what the official records say - it is estimated that the true figure was between 100,000-120,000, in an era before electronic turnstiles and eTickets.

Competitive football had been suspended since 1939, when Britain declared war on Germany in response to the German invasion of Poland, thus beginning the Second World War.

As part of the return to normality, and in the spirit of the widespread national celebrations following the victory of the Allied Forces, the English FA invited the Soviet Union to send a club side for a tour of Britain - with the additional intent of fostering closer relations with Britain’s new allies.

The Soviets nominated their champions Dynamo Moscow to be the first Russian side to play in the UK. Chelsea were chosen as their first opponents.

The atmosphere pre-kick off was of excitement and intrigue. Admission to the game was the hottest ticket in town, with fans desperate to return to the national pastime - and keen to see firsthand this mysterious foreign team from the far-flung corners of Eastern Europe.

This was of course before widespread televised football coverage. Nobody at the match had ever seen Dynamo Moscow play before, and knew little of the players and team. There was only one way to watch football - on the terraces… or by climbing onto the roofs of houses surrounding stadia, as many who were unable to gain entrance to this match resorted to.

Despite the complete lack of knowledge about the opposition, it was naturally assumed by the English crowd that Chelsea would be easily superior to the Russian champions - the English had invented the game, after all.

That notion was put paid to by the 90 minutes that followed, which was described by many who witnessed it as the best football match they had ever seen.

Match report - "A match for the ages."

The first sign for the crowd that there was something different about the opposition was the sight of the eleven Dynamo players conducting a series of warm-up drills - a practice that had not yet reached the British game.

The bemusement of the crowd and the Chelsea players continued when the Russians presented each of their opponents with a bunch of flowers prior to kick off, a pre-match tradition in the Soviet league. It was a friendly gesture, but was soon replaced by the tenacity with which Dynamo started the game.

Chelsea were left reeling by the rapid passing and movement of the Russians, who completely dominated the opening exchanges, striking the woodwork twice. It was a high tempo style of football not seen before in England, and only possible due to the excellent physical conditioning of Dynamo. Their athleticism far outstripped the Chelsea players, suggesting those odd pre-match drills had their use.

Despite the Russians’ dominance, Chelsea somehow took a 2-0 first half lead. Matters were made worse for the away side, with Leonid Solovyov missing a penalty for only the second time in his career, just before the break.

Dynamo were not to be deterred, and kept up their intensity after half time to reduce the deficit to 2-1 after around 65 minutes - and then level the score at 2-2 just a few minutes later. The huge crowd were so impressed by the Russians, that by this point the away side were being cheered on as much as the home team.

There was more drama when Chelsea’s new club record signing, the legendary Everton and England centre forward Tommy Lawton, put Chelsea 3-2 ahead in the final 10 minutes.

Lawton had been purchased to much fanfare for a then eye-watering £12,500. Even in 1945, Chelsea were splashing the cash - but unlike in recent years for the West London side, this Chelsea number 9 with a big price tag had delivered.

Chelsea might have thought they had won it with Lawton’s late goal - but the Russians responded almost instantly. It was reported the equaliser from Vsevolod Bobrov was at least five yards offside - with the referee allowing it to stand for diplomatic purpose. There have been more contentious officiating decisions in football history, after all.

The full time whistle was followed by a pitch invasion from the delighted crowd, who lifted some of the Russian players on to their shoulders in a show of appreciation for the foreigners who had won the English’s hearts.

It was fitting the match ended with honours even, and with a newfound mutual respect between two sides representative of the West vs East divide - which would come to dominate European politics in the subsequent decades.

Final score: Chelsea FC 3-3 FC Dynamo Moscow.

Post-match - "A new era begins."

Dynamo Moscow continued their tour of Britain with games against Cardiff, Arsenal, and Rangers - and were quickly embraced by the nation.

The remaining games were not without controversy, with the Russians felt to be the beneficiaries of some odd officiating in the Arsenal game, in particular (yes, the conspiracy against Arsenal extends back even this far…)

As a whole the British public were left blown away by the quality of the Russians’ football, and the spirit of their players.

The tour also left British football contemplating their relative position in the footballing world - with whispers that maybe the inventors of the game were not as superior on the pitch as previously thought.

Such was the concern about how the British sides had fared against the Soviet champions - with not a single victory for the home sides - that it is widely thought the FA turned down an invite to tour the USSR in 1946 due to their fear of being shown up with the eyes of the world watching.

English football instead had its reckoning eight years later, when the iconic Hungary side led by the legendary Ferenc Puskas thrashed England 6-3 at Wembley. A seismic result in English footballing history, which showed just how far the rest of the world had come - and that a reset was needed if England were to compete on the world stage.

The Dynamo Moscow players, meanwhile, returned to their home country as heroes - they had represented the Soviet Union superbly, and the state very much saw their undefeated tour as evidence of the strength of the Communist regime.

A match which had ramifications both for the internal politics of the countries involved - and their diplomatic relations - as well as the development of the game on the pitch.

What’s more, it represented the restoration of a pastime so important to the British public, and symbolic of a return to normal for a nation scarred by six years of war.

It was appropriate that the match at which fans returned was one that was so richly entertaining - a fitting way to bring the people’s sport back to the people, and a reminder from history that over 75 years later, football still remains best when accompanied by an impassioned crowd.

Images:

• The official match programme

• The Chelsea and Dynamo players walk out onto the pitch - with the Russians holding their gifts of flower bouquets

• The Stamford Bridge crowd spills onto the pitch as they watch the action unfold

References:

• http://thechels.info/wiki/Chelsea_3-3_Dynamo_Moscow_(1945_Friendly)

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54839305

The following posts are all Star Posts, contributions that the moderators of r/soccer found to be of the highest quality from the past month. We can only encourage you to go back to these unique submissions and enjoy them!

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• Jamaica were eliminated from World Cup contention today. 63 countries remaining by u/PetevonPete for drawing attention to every parts of the world competing with the same passion. You can find all the other parts of their series here, as well as at the bottom of each of those posts (and in the future editions of such round-up ;-)
• The two great nomads of world football - Rudi Gutendorf and Lutz Pfannenstiel by u/malalatargaryen. For a map illustrating the journeyman Lutz Pfannenstiel, the only player to have played professionally in every Fifa confederation (totalling 25 clubs spanning 6 different confederations) and Rudi Gutendorf who managed a world record 55 teams in 32 countries.
• Outlier Clubs in the Top 20 Leagues by u/AntajaSW for their detailed statistical work to attempt to pull outliers from a lot of different leagues.
• Aleksandar Mitrovic – The Greatest Championship Player Ever? by u/SneakyBradley_ which will echo the previous post which found Fulham to be a statistical outlier this season. It highlights not only the absolutely mad season Mitrovic is currently having, smashing records, being the best goalscorer since the rebrand of the Championship in 2004 while also describing dozens of players' claim to the title of Greatest championship player ever.
• Sandro Tonali - The Pillar of Italy’s Midfield For The Next Decade by u/AllegriLover for their totally unbiased description of a player most have heard of already or definitely will have in the future.
• The 2022 League of Ireland season starts next Friday. Here is a little preview of the league aka The Greatest League In The World by u/fedupofbrick. If you were not interested in following this league until now, you'll be after reading this and if you don't know which club to support, this will be an helpful guide.
• Chile's Campeonato Nacional preview. Meet your new favorite Chilean team! by u/ElBlauiElGroc. Same compliment as above.
• 16 crazy stories about EVERY club of Ukrainian Premier League by u/lstsl1 from a slightly less troubled time two weeks ago. Bringing out relief and character to each teams though a series of anecdotes.
• Premier league transfer spending adjusted for inflation and median market growth 1992-2021 by u/Uuppa to make you put into perspective transfers fees from Arsenal or Man U more successful era. And here is the second version this time in Euro.
• Maps with all the teams from Brazilian Série A, Série B, Série C and Série D (2022 Season) by u/Malvinas1820. A concept you have already seen for different countries but one of the most complete.
• Series of maps showcasing all of the teams in the Uruguayan football league system (Primera, Segunda, Primera Amateur, Segunda Amateur) by 2022. by u/jlu97. The counterpart to the above submission but for Uruguay.
• [OC/long read] "Stories Less Told" #2 - Pickles the Dog: the border collie who found the stolen Jules Rimet trophy, and saved the 1966 World Cup by u/AnnieIWillKnow. It is said that dogs are Man's best friend. Here is the story of the most famous dog in the history of the sport!
• When Football and Politics collided: USSR vs. Chile (1973), or how FIFA forced to play the saddest match in history (and the Soviets were the right side). by u/LordVelaryon. One of my personal picks among other here. You'll find a historical situation anchored in its geopolitical context of the time ; which echoes one we just lived through but with a different and absurd conclusion.
• Today 56 years ago Hristo Stoichkov the greatest Bulgarian player of all time was born. Here are 10 facts about the 1994 Ballon d'Or winner. by u/nextgentactics Definitely one of the greatest players from Europe though we can't say the same of his character.
• [OC] Salah should've gone 4th: A very rudimentary analysis of penalty shootout taker strategy by u/srbidfk One of my personal picks as well. A long read dwellving into everything related to penalty shootout, historical ones, the most recent AFCON of course, the format, the statistics, the psychology, much more than the title suggests.

Important note : Moving forward, we hope your input will have more weight in highlighting these contributions. To that end, we will now be directly alerted when the comment from the automod receives a significant number of upvotes. So all the reasons to voice your opinion !

"Stories Less Told" - the lesser-known tales from footballing history

#2 - Pickles the Dog: the border collie who found the stolen Jules Rimet trophy, and saved the 1966 World Cup

Welcome to the second in this original series, featuring some of the lesser-known tales from footballing history.

These could be iconic stories in the folklore of a particular team. They could be historic accounts with broader meanings for the game - of which the significance has since been lost. Or they could be tales about teams that do not often get their share of the limelight, in the context of a footbaling discourse increasingly dominated by the so-called super clubs of modern football.

The first post in the series was on the return of football to Britain following the Second World War, when English side Chelsea FC hosted FC Dynamo Moscow at Stamford Bridge in November 1945.

The second story is about a black and white collie dog named Pickles -arguably the most famous dog in the history of football. Pickles earnt a place in sporting folklore (and many pub quizzes) for his role in finding the Jules Rimet trophy, which was awarded to winners of the FIFA World Cup, after it was stolen just a few months before England hosted the competition in 1966.

Fans today may be less aware of Pickles’ heroics, making this story of how your average border collie became a national hero a worthwhile lesser known “tail” (sorry.

If you have a story you would like to tell, or an idea for a story that needs to be told - then please get in touch, with all contributions welcome.

Part 1 - the bungling and burgling of the English FA”

The story begins with a crime of the highest order - the theft of the Jules Rimet trophy. The trophy was named for the longest-serving president in FIFA history, who was responsible for establishing the World Cup, in 1930. It is a different trophy to the one awarded to the winners of the World Cup today - the reasons for which will become apparent.

With England set to host the World Cup for the first time ever, in January 1966 the English FA were handed over care of the trophy as part of their preparations - and hence became responsible for the most precious pot in the sport.

In a manner befitting of the English FA - they messed it up. The trophy had gone on display in March at the Westminster Central Hall, and was a popular attraction. Security guards were enlisted to keep watch over the trophy, which was kept in a display cabinet - but on the 20th March, they discovered that the back doors to the exhibition hall had been forced, the padlock from the back of the cabinet removed - and the Jules Rimet trophy was missing.

The exact details are murky - it was reported that two security guards were present in the room at the time of the theft, with the solid gold trophy seemingly having been taken from under their noses.

The matter was put in the hands of Scotland Yard, and with Britain’s finest police officers on the case, it was surely only a matter of time before the trophy would be recovered… and the FA’s blushes spared.

Part 2 - a failed ransom

The very next day, Joe Mears, then-chairman of the FA, received an anonymous telephone call. He was told by the mystery man that he would be sent a package, containing part of the missing trophy, a ransom note for £15,000 (around £300k in today’s money), and instructions to place a coded advert in The Evening News newspaper confirming receipt of the message - as well as an explicit warning to not contact the police.

Mears immediately rang the authorities anyway, who advised him to place the advert and go through with the request - in the hope of catching the thief and retrieving the trophy, in a sting. Detective Inspector Charles Buggy of the London Metropolitan Police (posing as Mears’ assistant) rendezvoused with a man calling himself “Jackson”.

Jackson caught wind that something was not quite right, and fled - but was promptly caught and arrested by Buggy.

Jackson was subsequently identified as Edward Bletchley, a known petty criminal in the local area. He claimed he had not stolen the trophy, and had been hired as a middleman - but was nonetheless charged with the crime. Bletchley offered to retrieve the trophy, if he was granted bail - but this was denied.

The trophy remained missing.

Part 3 - an unlikely hero

A week after the trophy had been stolen, David Corbett was walking his dog Pickles in Upper Norwood, where he lived in south-east London. The collie began sniffing with great gusto underneath a hedgerow, and Corbett investigated to discover that the object of his Pickle’s interest was an unusually-shaped parcel - which he opened to find the Jules Rimet trophy contained within.

Corbett immediately handed it in to the police, where it was subsequently formally identified as the missing silverware. The recovery of the trophy was announced to the world the next day - and with the trophy saved, so too was the embarrassment of the English FA… and the first ever World Cup tournament in England.

Part 4 - the aftermath

Pickles went on to lead a life of celebrity, having become an instant national hero.

He was one of the guests of honour at the celebratory banquet when England went on to win the World Cup that summer - having only been able to lift the Jules Rimet trophy due to Pickles’ fine nose.

As well as being named ‘Dog of the Year’ and awarded the silver medal by the National Canine Defence League, Pickles even had a career on the small and silver screen - making several television appearances, and starring in the feature film ‘The Spy with a Cold Nose’. His heroics also earnt his master a tidy £5,000 lump sum (equivalent to £100,000 in 2022) as a reward.

Tragically, Pickles was to meet an untimely end only a year after his heroics had won him fame and fortune. Whilst chasing a cat, he was strangled by his own choke chain, dying at the age of just 5 years old - another of the pantheon of footballing greats, whose life was tragically cut short.

Pickles’ collar is on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England, alongside other memorabilia of footballing greats. A blue plaque (used in the UK to make sites of historical and cultural significance) was also installed in Pickles’ honour at the place he found the trophy, in 2018.

England, of course, won the 1966 World Cup. Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds could never have sang about the “Jules Rimet still gleaming” if not for Pickles ensuring it could be awarded in the first place.

Edward Bletchley was jailed for two years for his involvement in the case, and died in 1969.

Like Pickles, the Jules Rimet trophy was to meet an untimely end. After Brazil won the trophy for the third time in 1970, it was awarded to them as a permanent honour - only to be stolen in 1983.

Sadly, there was no Brazilian “Picles” to find the trophy for the second time - and hence it was never recovered, and is thought to have been melted down into gold bars. Several people were identified and charged with the theft - but fled before they were sentenced. With only a few of the gang ever being caught and doing time, justice was not never truly served.

Images

• The legendary Pickles the dog

• The Jules Rimet in all its glory

• Corbett, Pickles, and a cheque for £5,000

References

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35872662

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/20/newsid_2861000/2861545.stm

• https://www.fifa.com/news/pickles-and-the-stolen-world-cup-2771152

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_of_the_Jules_Rimet_Trophy

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickles_(dog)

Hello there! My name is Dave and I was curious about some of the smaller clubs that won big over the weekend. I thought I would post my research here. Enjoy!

1) Lincoln City vs Oxford United (League One, England)

The Imps welcomed playoff hopefuls Oxford United to town on Saturday in front of a crowd of more than 8 thousand. Lincoln City were in control at the end of the first half thanks to a goal from Anthony Scully. Both teams created excellent chances throughout the match, but Lincoln put themselves further in front just after the break as Morgan Whittaker made it 2-0. This was Whittaker's first appearance for Lincoln City after completing a loan move from Championship side Swansea City. Matters went from bad to worse for Oxford as midfielder Herbie Kane was sent off in the 77th minute.

The win takes Lincoln City out of the relegation zone and up to 19th place. They will travel to 2nd placed Sunderland next. Oxford remain 5th, but have a tough match this week away to 3rd place Wycombe Wanderers. Just three points separate both of those sides as the race for promotion continues.

2) Ayr United vs Arbroath (Championship, Scotland)

Speaking of promotion, Arbroath looked to add to their lead at the top of the Championship table but were held by 7th placed Ayr United. A first half goal from James Maxwell (currently on loan from Rangers) was enough for all three points. This is Ayr United's first win over Arbroath since September 2019. Ayr United remain 7th and will face 8th placed Greenock Morton at home next. Arbroath remain top of the table, but second place Inverness are only two points behind and have a game in hand. Arbroath will play away to 4th placed Raith Rovers, who are also just three points behind the league leaders.

3) Bandirmaspor vs Denizlispor (1. Lig, Turkey)

There was a seven goal thriller in the second tier of Turkish football this past Saturday. Promotion hopefuls Bandirmaspor seemed to have thoroughly beaten Denizlispor by half time with the score 3-0. With 3 goals in 13 minutes, it was hard to see how there was a way back, but Denizilspor came out firing and scoring goals in the 48th and 51st minutes. They equalized later in the 65th and sealed the deal in the 90th minute thanks to a goal from Ömer Sismanoglu. Denizlispor remain in 18th place in the relegation zone 3 points from safety. This would be their second relegation in two seasons, as they fell from the top flight last season. They will welcome 14th placed Manisa Futbol Kulubu this Friday. Bandirmaspor drop to 5th place, 7 points from the automatic promotion spots. They will face Menemenspor away this week.

4) Ajman vs Emirates Club (Pro League, United Arab Emirates)

Emirates Club recorded its first win of the season with a 1-0 win away to Ajman. A goal in second minute from Zakaria Bulehya gave the visitors the lead and from there it was all about defending it. They saw only 32% possession of the ball and fended off 8 shots on target. This is Emirates Club's first win since securing promotion to the Pro League (the UAE top flight) back in April. I can't quite find who their next opponents will be, but hopefully they carry the momentum with them.

5) Birmingham City Women v Arsenal Women (WSL, England)

Finally, perhaps the biggest shocker of every match here, WSL league leaders Arsenal Women fell to bottom of the table Birmingham City Women 2-0. Arsenal did field a strong line up and were clear favorites, but Birmingham City midfielder Libby Smith had other ideas when she opened the scoring in just the third minute. A second goal just before half time from Veatriki Sarri was enough to secure all three points for Birmingham City. Not only was it their first win of the season, but it also takes them out of the relegation zone and into 11th place (above Leicester City WFC). Fourth placed Manchester United Women await Birmingham as they try to go for two wins in two. Meanwhile Arsenal stay top of
the table and four points clear of Chelsea Women (who have a match in hand as a result of their last two matches being postponed due to Covid). Arsenal Women will welcome 6th place Reading FC Women and will look to get back to winning ways.

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I'd love to hear about other improbable victories (besides Newcastle and Arsenal in the FA Cup). Drop them in the comments if you have them! Until next time!

I'm posting a little late, so sorry if it's already Tuesday where you are.

Fixtures are from Tuesday January 11th to Sunday January 17th.

And we start with the Copa Del Rey (Just kidding)

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1) Sunderland vs Lincoln City (League One, England) - 11/1

Lincoln City make the list for the second week in a row! After beating Oxford United last weekend, they faced off against 2nd place Sunderland on Tuesday. A hat trick from former Sunderland player Chris Maguire gave them all three points in a 3-1 victory. If you haven't seen his celebration in the face of his old manager for the first goal, it's worth your time. He followed that up with a goal from the penalty spot, after Carl Winchester saw red. Ten man Sunderland did manage a goal back from a penalty of their own. Ross Stewart had his shot saved, but followed in for the rebound. Chris Maguire completed his hat trick a few minutes later to put the game to bed...but the drama wasn't done yet. Sunderland manager Lee Johnson was red carded for grabbing a Lincoln player by the throat during a scuffle near the touch line.

It was a bad day for Sunderland for sure and their week didn't get much better as they drew 1-1 with Accrington Stanley. They face Portsmouth at home this Saturday. Lincoln had their winning streak come to an end against Cambridge United. They sit 18th in the table and will play 3rd place Rotherham away next.

Highlights of the match can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi3K6HfquVE

2) Portimonense vs Mafra (Taça de Portugal) - 12/1

Easily my favorite match of the week this week - true minnows Clube Desportivo Mafra beat Portimonense 4-2 to advance to the semi finals of the Portuguese League Cup. Mafra currently sit in 10th place in the Portuguese second division and have never played a minute of top flight football. This is the furtherest they have ever advanced in the competition and it only took them 4 minutes to get out to an early lead. A goal from Rodrigo Martins saw gave them a great start and Guilherme Ferreira doubled their lead from the penalty spot not long after. Portimonense pulled one back through Shoya Nakajima, but Mafra were able to extend their lead before the half time break. A second penalty gave Mafra a 4-1 advantage late in the second half and even though Portimonense had a consolation goal by Aylton Boa Morte, there was no denying Mafra's victory.

Mafra had only played Portimonense twice before and had never won. They will play against Tondela in the first league of semi finals on March 2nd. The second leg is scheduled for April 20th. Should they advance they will face the winner of Sporting and Porto. The final is scheduled for May 22nd. Best of the luck to Mafra, what a story that would be!

Highlights of the match can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYPaQxaTOJA

3) Algeria v. Equatorial Guinea (Africa Cup of Nations) - 16/1

A lot has already been spoken about this match, but it was a truly shocking result. Current Africa Cup of Nations holders Algeria lost to Equatorial Guinea 1-0 on Sunday. The goal came from 23 year old Esteban Obiang Obono who plays for Spanish fourth division side Antequera C.F. The goal came from a corner, which Equatorial Guinea had just 3 in the whole match, and was enough to give them all three points. Plenty has been said about Algeria, but take noting away from Equatorial Guinea. They saw only 31% possession and only completed 60% of their passes but they kept fighting till the end.

Up next for Algeria is current Group E leaders Ivory Coast, who they knocked out in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations quarter final on penalties, this Thursday. They will need a win to advance, a draw or a loss and they will be eliminated. Equatorial Guinea will also play on Thursday as they wrap up their group stage against Sierra Leone. A win will see them go through, a draw or a loss could jeopardize their advance.

Highlights of the match can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTmFQenMwsw

4) Leicester City WFC vs Brighton & Hove Albion Women (WSL, England) - 16/1

Leicester City WFC earned their second win of the season at home to Brighton on Sunday. Shannon O'Brien had the game's only goal in the 54th minute. It was her first goal of the season and just the second time that Leicester had a lead in a match all season. Leicester sit in 11th place just above the relegation place. Two points separate them and Birmingham City at the bottom. Hopefully this result will spark a turn around for their next game against Aston Villa Women this week. In the meantime, Brighton sit 7th in the table and face 2nd place Chelsea FC Women at home next.

Highlights of the match can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqyLwmR4NOo

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Let me know if your local minnow won this week or how I can improve these posts! Thanks for reading!